Israel and Hamas have signed off on the first phase of a peace plan for Gaza, US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday evening.
The plan states all hostages will be released and Israel will withdraw troops to an agreed-upon line.
It marks an extraordinary moment two years and one day after Hamas militants attacked Israel, starting a brutal war that has devastated Gaza, dominated global politics and unleashed seismic shifts across the Middle East.
Mr Trump hailed a "great day" for the Arab and Muslim world, Israel and its neighbours and the US. He also thanked mediators Qatar, Egypt and Turkey.
"Blessed are the peacemakers!" he wrote in a message on social media, adding that all remaining hostages would be released "very soon". He later told Fox News the releases would happen on Monday.
“All parties will be treated fairly," he wrote.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a brief statement: "With God’s help, we will bring them all home," referring to the hostages.
Hamas called on Mr Trump, “the guarantor states, and all Arab, Islamic and international parties” to ensure the ceasefire with Israel in Gaza is fully implemented.
In a statement, Hamas asked that Israel be prevented “from evading or delaying the implementation of what has been agreed”.
The Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killed 1,200 people and saw Palestinian militants kidnap about 240 hostages.
Since then almost 67,200 Palestinians have been killed in the coastal enclave and nearly 170,000 injured, according to local health officials, and most of the territory has been laid to waste. Most hospitals have been destroyed and an Israeli blockade has compounded suffering, with severe malnutrition now common.
Mr Trump's announcement came hours after he said he would probably travel to Egypt, and possibly Gaza, at the weekend.
Sources told The National that he is planning to attend the signing of the deal reached in negotiations that began in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El Sheikh on Monday.
The deal will provide for the release of the 48 hostages held by Hamas, of whom only 20 are believed to be alive, in exchange for the freedom of hundreds of Palestinians in Israeli prisons.
The first batch of hostages will include all of the living and an unspecified number of bodies of those who have died. Hamas will then locate and exhume the remains of the rest who have been buried in tunnels that have been destroyed in Israeli strikes, said the sources.
The release of the hostages and prisoners will commence when a ceasefire is declared, they added.
The sources in Cairo said Israel has agreed that the hundreds of Palestinians to be freed will include such prominent figures such as Marwan Barghouti, a senior leader of the mainstream Fatah faction who is widely tipped as a possible successor to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
They also include Ahmad Saadat, head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and Ibrahim Hamed, one of the founders of Hamas's military wing, Ezzedine Al Qassam Brigades.
The Palestinians to be freed will also include about 60 who had been rearrested by Israel after their release from prison in 2011 as part of an Egyptian-brokered deal to free Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. The soldier spent more than five years held hostage by Hamas and was released in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinians incarcerated in Israel.
“Peace for the Middle East – it's a beautiful phrase,” Mr Trump said earlier. “And we hope it's going to come true."
US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Mr Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner were in Egypt on Wednesday, joining the negotiations to end the two-year-old war.
The announcement comes after Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi invited Mr Trump to a signing ceremony if Israel and Hamas were to reach an agreement.
On Tuesday, Mr Trump said the US would do everything possible to ensure that all sides adhere to a ceasefire deal in Gaza.
The momentum is the result of his 20-point plan for Gaza, which he revealed last week from the White House alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The plan aims to end the war in Gaza, rebuild it and put in place new leadership. It also calls for Hamas to disarm, and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
Much of the coastal enclave has been reduced to rubble, and the true scale of the devastation, including casualties, remains unknown.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
more from Janine di Giovanni
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Haltia.ai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Arto%20Bendiken%20and%20Talal%20Thabet%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20AI%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2041%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20About%20%241.7%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self%2C%20family%20and%20friends%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Aldar Properties Abu Dhabi T10
*November 15 to November 24
*Venue: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
*Tickets: Start at Dh10, from ttensports.com
*TV: Ten Sports
*Streaming: Jio Live
*2017 winners: Kerala Kings
*2018 winners: Northern Warriors
'Morbius'
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Stars: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona
Rating: 2/5
How to increase your savings
- Have a plan for your savings.
- Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
- Decide on a financial goal that is important to you and put your savings to work for you.
- It's important to have a purpose for your savings as it helps to keep you motivated to continue while also reducing the temptation to spend your savings.
- Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
More on animal trafficking
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
Disability on screen
Empire — neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis; bipolar disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rosewood and Transparent — heart issues
24: Legacy — PTSD;
Superstore and NCIS: New Orleans — wheelchair-bound
Taken and This Is Us — cancer
Trial & Error — cognitive disorder prosopagnosia (facial blindness and dyslexia)
Grey’s Anatomy — prosthetic leg
Scorpion — obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety
Switched at Birth — deafness
One Mississippi, Wentworth and Transparent — double mastectomy
Dragons — double amputee
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
How to turn your property into a holiday home
- Ensure decoration and styling – and portal photography – quality is high to achieve maximum rates.
- Research equivalent Airbnb homes in your location to ensure competitiveness.
- Post on all relevant platforms to reach the widest audience; whether you let personally or via an agency know your potential guest profile – aiming for the wrong demographic may leave your property empty.
- Factor in costs when working out if holiday letting is beneficial. The annual DCTM fee runs from Dh370 for a one-bedroom flat to Dh1,200. Tourism tax is Dh10-15 per bedroom, per night.
- Check your management company has a physical office, a valid DTCM licence and is licencing your property and paying tourism taxes. For transparency, regularly view your booking calendar.
About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
Investors: Undisclosed
More on Quran memorisation:
The bio
Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions
School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira
Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
Dream City: San Francisco
Hometown: Dubai
City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala
OTHER IPL BOWLING RECORDS
Best bowling figures: 6-14 – Sohail Tanvir (for Rajasthan Royals against Chennai Super Kings in 2008)
Best average: 16.36 – Andrew Tye
Best economy rate: 6.53 – Sunil Narine
Best strike-rate: 12.83 – Andrew Tye
Best strike-rate in an innings: 1.50 – Suresh Raina (for Chennai Super Kings against Rajasthan Royals in 2011)
Most runs conceded in an innings: 70 – Basil Thampi (for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2018)
Most hat-tricks: 3 – Amit Mishra
Most dot-balls: 1,128 – Harbhajan Singh
Most maiden overs bowled: 14 – Praveen Kumar
Most four-wicket hauls: 6 – Sunil Narine
What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
